I fly a lot, not as much as our Dictator Trevor Long who must hate Australia, but still a fair bit. When I fly, I don’t want to hear anything but either music or some kind of sleep aid sound from an app. To do this I need a set of decent noise cancelling headphones. On the 40-hour trip to Berlin I had the chance to sample Sennheiser’s new Momentum wireless over-ear headphones.
I’ll just cut to the chase, I tried three sets along the way. The Sony 1000XM3, Bose 700 and the Sennheiser. Without a shadow of doubt the Momentum win on sound delivery, which the brand is renowned for. Noise cancelling headphones are never the ideal candidate to truly appreciate the Mids, Highs and Lows. But Sennheiser has managed to deliver a very premium and balanced experience for your aural pleasure.
But…
I need strong noise cancelling and sadly the Momentum’s come third in this trio. But on the flipside, I believe they’re the most attractive. If you look around on a flight, you’ll see two categories of people. Those who use the airlines own crappy set and those who use either Bose or Sony mostly.
The Sennheisers standout and if others are anything like me, they will certainly take note of the more technical and exposed look they possess. The stainless-steel sliders and hinges look tops.
There are some handy features, such as Auto On/Off and Smart Pause features. You only need to unfold them to start them up. They also sense when you put them on or off, pausing or resuming playback.
I have no issues with comfort levels, even for hours on end. Sheep leather in conjunction with soft padding on the earpads and headband make them as comfortable as the other two I’ve mentioned, if not more so.
Just on the Active Noise Cancellation, the Momentum has a Transparent Hearing function others would call Ambient Mode. This simply allows you to hear what the flight attendant just said to you.
Stephane Hareau, Global Head of Products Consumer at Sennheiser, said; “Our MOMENTUM range has been synonymous with a unique blend of superior sound quality, progressive technology and remarkable craftsmanship, and with the third generation, we are bringing this contemporary classic into the always-on, connected age.”
Sebastian Rodens, Product Manager at Sennheiser, added; “The new MOMENTUM Wireless is a smart headphone that gives you fast, effortless control: whether enjoying entertainment or making calls, escaping it all or staying connected – it anticipates your needs and lets you interact intuitively and instantly.”
There are more buttons than I’d like, The Sony 1000XM3 and Bose 700 rely mostly on swipe controls. It’s a three-button interface. There’s is a dedicated button for access to Siri and Google Assistant. Amazon Alexa will arrive via a firmware update soon.
The battery life is rated at 17-hours would is pretty handy. A fabric carry case is included, but for carry-on some may mind the almost biscuit tin sized case a tad too large, especially if you’re cramming.
By the way, how good is this. The new Momentum Wireless comes with built-in Tile technology. The Bluetooth tracker uses the Tile app to ensure you never lose them again.
If the noise cancelling was just a tad stronger, these would be my go-to set. But for now, I’ll have to stick with the Sony’s.
The new MOMENTUM Wireless is available in black as of now for $599.95 AU (MSRP). A sandy white colour variant will be available from November.
EFTM’s coverage of IFA 2019 is supported by Vodafone, Porsche & Samsung
